After 446 career games, two Stanley Cup championships and an absurd amount of publicity, Kane is light-years beyond the fresh-faced 18-year-old who attended his first Hawks training camp in 2007 just months after being selected No. 1 overall in the draft.

"Coming in at 18, I was just kind of trying to prove myself and prove my worth as a top pick," Kane said on Day 3 of camp at Notre Dame. "Time flies, I guess. To say I'm going into my seventh season is pretty wild. I remember going into my fourth season I was still the youngest guy on the team, and now three years later you feel like a big, wily veteran."

Kane's first two seasons were a learning process on and off the ice. During the Hawks' run to their first Cup in 49 years in 2010, stardom hit and the Buffalo native rode the wave of popularity. These days, life appears to be slowing down for Kane, and he is a calming influence in the Hawks' dressing room.

"Times change," he said. "It's crazy. From 2010 to 2013, three years makes a big difference from guys getting married to having babies to guys being single and now having girlfriends. It's pretty amazing what can change in that short amount of time."

His growth as a player and a person has not been lost on those around Kane the most.

"Every year he has grown up in the right fashion," coach Joel Quenneville said. "More mature off the ice, taking on more responsibility as far as leadership on the team. His game has gotten quicker, he has gotten stronger, faster.

"Every year you see progress and you noticed it right off the bat at the start of camp. I commend him on wanting to keep getting better and wanting to be the best player he can be."

It appears this veteran thing has its advantages as Kane has come into camp in top physical shape, a bit leaner after dropping a few pounds but toned with a chiseled physique.

"You really take advantage of this time of year is what I realized," Kane said. "This is the best training you're going to get, playing against each other, being at practices, working out with trainers. We have less than 20 days until our first games of the season so focus on hockey and get as good as you can."

What personal goals has Kane set heading into the new season?

"None, really," he said. "Just keep getting better as a player. You never want to be satisfied. I feel like if I have a good game or a bad game you want to accept that and get better from it and move on. For me, it's not … setting goals because you don't really want to limit yourself to anything."

There appears to be no limit to the kind of buzz Kane can create. The Internet lit up Friday as word hit of a video showcasing his remarkable stickhandling skills in a commercial for equipment company Bauer.

The video, which according to Kane was shot over a span of 15 to 20 minutes, had nearly 250,000 views on YouTube a day into its release. It shows Kane stickhandling through a maze of pucks in a small circle without disturbing any of them.

"It was fun to do something like that," Kane said. "When they had the idea and they told me how many pucks were going to be in the center I was like, 'I don't know if I could do it.' I tried it with a few and said, 'Why not throw all of them in there and see if I can do it?' It was cool."